Eyes Lips Face -Mystery Bag

I have heard plenty of good things about E.L.F (eyes lips face) and I have also heard plenty of bad things but the products are so cheap if you order 5 things and only end up liking one, you are still most likely coming out ahead due to how dirt cheap everything is.

I have done plenty of my version of "Window Shopping" on the E.L.F website, which means I frequently browse and fill up my cart, but I have been very hesitant to pull the trigger as it almost seems to good to be true that you can get decent quality beauty items at those prices and the shipping cost to canadas winds up being around 17 dollars which can cut into the savings,  though if you pay using paypal that cost goes down to around 7 dollars.

Recently I recieved an email offering a Mystery Bag of e.l.f products free with a minimum purchase of $20, and we all know how much I love a mystery bag so of course I decided to swallow my hatred cof shipping charges and give it a try.

For my order I purchased

1. Eyelash Curler ($1)
2. Slant Tweezer ($1) darn it I bought 1 before and forgot it was in my cart lol at least it was just a buck
3.Eyelash and brow wand ($1) I really wanted to try applying Coconut Oil to my lashes at night,  I have heard good things
4. Stipple brush ($3)-not sure what product I will use this for yet, but I am building my Brush Collection
5.Small Brush Holder ($5) they were out of stock on the large on, but thats on my list!
6. Blemish Kit - Shear ($8) this is a minerial "concealer" with medicinal ingredients to help zits say good bye faster
7. Maximum Coverage Concealer-oil free-sand ($3) I have heard mixed reviews but looking forward to trying it.
8. Make up Remover Cleansing Cloths ($3 )
9. 5 Piece Duo Eyeshadow Collection -Day ($5)

So all in all I spent 28 dollars plus tax and shipping which depending on how the products work maybe an amazing deal! I will be posting a review at the end of the week after I have a change to try all the products.

On to the good stuff - The Mystery Bag!

The mystery bag was huge! 

1. Vanilla sugar cookie lotion wipes
2.Misty mauve eye primer
2. Defining eye brush
3. Glitter gloss in golden glitz,
4. Hypershine in flirt,
5. Glitter shadow in night owl,
6. Body shimmer in blazing bronze
7. a lipstain
8. Hand Sanitizer trio

Product Overload :) and only 1 item is destined for the swap bin so far!

Have you ordered a Mystery Bag from E.L.F?

Glymm - February 2013 - Epic fail!

I am not sure if you are aware of all the drama surrounding this sub lately, but I had decided to cancel my membership with Glymm in January due to the quality of the products being sent, changes to the terms of service without notice, 2 price increases in a 6 month period, some subscribers have been told by VISA while they were doing chargebacks that the company is bankrupt  and a SLEW of other things and this was supposed to be my second to last bag with Glymm as by the time I finally connected with their customer service, after sending two emails, I had already been charged for March as well since they charge a month ahead though they changed their shipping to the very end of the month from the beginning so you actually get charged twice before receiving the first bag :( Today being the 8th of March I have not even seen a tracking notice for the February bag, so I decided to contact both their customer care by email AND their FB as it seems posting on their facebook generates a faster response. 

This was my facebook post keep in mind I was very careful to avoid the term "You" and instead use "Glymm" so that it would not seem like a personal attack on their Facebook Staff but my frustration with the company as a whole

I am still waiting for my February bag, I have not even received a shipping notification yet, THIS is exactly what I talked about with customer service when I cancelled, as I was worried that since I cancelled my sub, Glymm would "conveniently" FORGET to send me the bags that I have already PAID FOR, I was assured by Glymm Customer Service that I would received a February and March bag since I have paid for them, your customer service is a complete joke, and I really hope you guys don't wonder why you cannot keep subscribers? I have also sent an email to your CS team, but it looks likes like I will have to do a charge back with my credit card company since you guys have decided not to provide me with the service I have paid for almost three months ago now"

They responded to me on FB within a half an hour

Melissa Mayer - Your box has been shipped, please private message us or email member services if you have not received it. We send all members bag that have been paid for no one is ever forgotten. We kindly ask that you speak to us in a respectful tone as member services does everything possible to help all members.  Thank you.


to which I posted 

Glymm I am pretty sure that my posts clearly states that I have not received it along with the fact that I have already emailed customer service, so would you like me to email it again? I am confused about the tone that you refer to? I was simply stating my feelings as to how "Respectfully" I have been treated? I have paid for a service that Glymm has not provided to me how is that "Respectful" in the least? The terms of service that I signed up for have been repeatedly been violated by Glymm, which is why I cancelled as there is a total and complete lack of respect for us as subscribers. So if you think I should apologize for being slightly upset about being lied to (if my package has been shipped where is my shipping notice? or a tracking number?) and paying for items in January that according to the terms of service should have been mailed in early February until Glymm changed it at the last minute, and that now in March I still have not received ? Or the fact that I have paid for in Glymm's words 

"Glymm works to ensure that samples are luxury and deluxe sized, meaning that they offer multiple uses so that you can really see the benefits of the product over a longer period of time. Also, each sample is hand-picked in accordance to your beauty profile. So eliminate the randomness of in-store samples and try the products you really would buy to actively improve your beauty regime!" 

and what I have actually received have been dried up tiny products that I cannot use. Then I respectfully refuse

Can you tell I am slightly pissed ? this months bag is I know from spoilers: repeat samples, a gross brown eye shadow and a UV GEL polish for professional use only (and you need to have a UV light for setting it) so its not the product that I care about, its the point of the thing, they have a terrible business model, horrible customer service, they lie to their subscribers, sell products they do not have in stock which causes MONTHS of Shipping delays for Store Orders until people ask for their money back and are they are just down right sneaky..............

THEN it turns out my bag was delivered today while I am at work, so I feel a little chagrined about my rant, but not too much since everything I said was true, I paid for February's Bag  on January 1 expecting it to arrive at the beginning of February as per my terms of service implied, when the day came and went that they were supposed to have all bags mailed out they quietly posted to their facebook that their shipping dates would now be the last day of the month, which for people who do not check facebook everyday or don not even have a facebook that was useless, as I didn't even see it and I am on facebook for hours a day!  so I was charged January 1 for the Feb Glymm Bag, February 1 for the March Glymm Bag AND if I had not have cancelled I would have been charged again March 1 for the April and all while not having received a thing from them. 

I am glad that this months bag which should arrive in April will be my last and final experience with this company. 

Golden Tote February Sale!

This time when the sale rolled I wasn't too in love with the large tote choices, but one of the items from the smaller tote intrigued me.

So I grabbed the smaller tote for the first time!  My Shipping notice was received on February 15th and my tote finally arrived a little later than normal on March 6th, and for the first time I wasn't over the moon impressed with my tote.

I picked the thin blue and grey hoodie shown above (pic from Golden Tote) as my choice, and I have to say I am in LOVE with this item, I have had my tote for 36 hours and already worn it twice. The fit was amazing and it is super soft!, I wore it to the movies on Tuesday with jeans and then again yesterday with a pair of comfy pants, it looks great with either option and it is light enough that I will enjoy wearing it in the spring and summer months on those blustery days. <3 <3 <3

I only received one other clothing item which is within the guidelines of the service, but it was one of the choices from the larger tote.  I have just used the picture from the Golden Tote Website, although the one I received was an emerald color (yay for the Pantone color of the year) so its on trend, but my feeling is that I really hadn't wanted any of the items from the larger tote or I would have ordered it.  I haven't tried it on yet, as I am trying to work up the nerve,  it is not something I would pick out for myself as it seems boxy to me and my frame does not need to look boxy, but the idea of a boxy shift with some lace detailing is growing on me, it may look cute with a pencil skirt and a cardigan?

I think I would have much preferred an item from the larger totes extras, they received scarves, a basic layering tank and a lace bralet.    In my tote I also got some more hair ties, the ones made from a elastic that are not supposed to wreck your hair, I love them and can never have enough and a bottle of nail polish, which as you know I am already swimming in (Plus it sorta seems like an afterthought, it wasn't on trend color wise or anything) these items were just "fun" extras.

The smaller tote is $49.00 plus a $20.00 shipping charge (it actually costs them more than that to ship a tote to Canada, around $30 or $40, so I have a sneaking suspicion that this charge may rise soon), but I had a $15.00 credit so this tote ended up costing me $54.00, I am not sure that for me personally the value was there, I definitely do not think I would have been happy if it had cost me almost $70.00, This was my third order from Golden Tote with all of my other totes I have been ecstatic and felt that I definitely got more than what I paid for, I am not entirely sure if that is just how the smaller tote works as it was my first time ordering one, but I also kind of felt that the girls over at Golden Tote were not 100% dedicated to the February sale, with all the other things they have going on.

I realize that the last part of my review sounded pretty negative, but that does not mean I am done with Golden Tote by any means, in fact I am looking forward to the next sale as the concept is something I am really in love with and I have discovered a variety of items that I would not have chosen for myself but now wear on a regular basis.

The girls over at Golden Tote have been working on a website overhaul, which is expected to allow for more customization of totes, originally supposed to launch on February 28, but I think has been delayed along with the March sale till March 11.  They have posted some AMAZING spoiler pics from their next tote, so I am quietly sitting on my hands waiting for it to begin.  P.S it also looks like this month they will be offering an accessory tote as well! So my credit card better watch out!!

Here is a link to their facebook if you would like to check it out!

www.facebook.com/pages/Golden-Tote/135947516506384


and if you have any interest in trying it out, my referral link is below (no obligation to use it though)

http://mybuzzlink.com/bee/offer.htm?aId=1013&cIval=30&tt!pID=1723&tt!bD=1291592_1&overrideLanding=aHR0cDovL2dvbGRlbnRvdGUuY29tP3R0IXBJRD0xNzIzJnR0IWJEPTEyOTE1OTJfMQ%3D%3D

Bathing suit season is sneaking up on us!

Since I am on a  health/Diet kick in preparation for beach/Swimsuit season, I have been keeping an eye out for great swim suits. I have found a few companies I would love to try online, but being as I have such a problem finding swim suits I have been a little gunshy about ordering anything.  Then I came across this picture of Selena Gomez ( I Know, but it was on TMZ so don't hate!!)

I am in LOVE with this swim suit, it is classy and very old school Hollywood Glam,  I am not sure if it would work for my top heavy figure, but I would love to track one down and try it on!!.

My 1st Starlooks Box

I first heard about Starlooks though one of the girls on the beauty groups I frequent on Facebook.  Starlooks is a make up line that offers a monthly sub of their own products for a cost of approx $19.50 including shipping, I have approximated the cost due to the fact that it is an U.S. sub and since the conversion rate changes a little the price can either go a little up or a little down.  This month was my first month  and it was also a Lauren Clark Special Edition,  and I have to say WOW, when I opened the mailer envelop I found this very cute little pink box.  Inside the box I already knew what I would find since I cannot seem to stay away from spoilers but I am still very very impressed both with the products and the quality.

The Picture is terrible I know, that is one of my new resolutions to work on!!

Contents:  (All pricing will be direct from the Starlooks website)

1. Lip Liner  - Tipsy  ($8.00)

This lip liner, went on very smoothly and was a great color for summer, I am not usually a lip person, but I definitely think that I will use this product to give my lips some color, and this may start a new trend for my beauty routine.

2.  HD Fluid Blush -  Cheeky Luscious ($14.00)

This wasn't a huge container but as I found out yesterday a tiny little bit of this goes an extremely long way, in fact I was a tad terrified.  A small bead was enough to give both cheeks a healthy glow.  The Color Pay off was amazing, I applied using my fingers to dab and blend.

3.  Lip Gloss -  Pink Oasis ($11.00)

I haven't tried this product yet,  but just looking at it in the container does not really impress me color wise, I will swatch when I get home, but I think this is going into my swap pile. 

4. Infinity Pot Liner: Satin - Princess Diaries ($15.00)

This is my favorite product out of the bunch, I am not sure I would ever use it as a liner, but while looking at spoilers on MUT, one of the girls has used this as an all over cream shadow and it looked amazing, so I gave it a try yesterday, I just used my finger to apply, though I would love to find a tool to use, so will be going to Shoppers today, as I do not like the idea of sticking my fingers in the pot to apply, yes my fingers are clean but it just sort of gives me the willies.  Looking at the starlooks website, I may just need to order this in EVERY color ;)

Total Value of the box  $48 U.S if purchased separately, and I paid $19.50 CA, this may be up there with Ipsy as being my new favorite sub, and I look forward to trying more products from this company

Have you tried Starlooks?

Glossybox # 2 - February 2013

I guess I should preface this post with the fact I do not understand why exactly I have received a second Glossybox this month, I can only assume it is due the amount of complaining I have done lately about their service and to make up for the expired products I have received from them, I know they have not been charging me twice, so that's a plus but still very strange, I guess I will be able to build my swap box faster than expected.

This was my second February Box, the differences between this box and the first are I did not receive the special "Givenchy Gloss"  in its place I received:


1) a Burt's Bee's Lip Shimmer in Plum -  This product looks way to dark for my fair complexion, This will be a swap item

2) Elite Eye Liner Pencil - I currently have 2 pencil liners on the go and a gel liner, so I have not even bothered to swatch this product, but I heard from one of the girls in the beauty group that it is a great glitter liner.

I also received an Avon Nail Polish in Plum, this product is supposed to replace the expired Avon Lipgloss from Poland and the outdated Revlon Nail Polish that came in a previous box.  Its a basic color nothing special, I am a little peeved though, some glossy subscribers had the option to pick to previous products as replacements and they were sent straight away, I was not given that option just told they would send me the polish (which took almost three months)

The Essence Eye shadow Quad I received in this box is way more suitable to my taste than the previous one as well, I have arranged a swap on the for the previous one with a beauty group member, Once I receive the swapped item I will do a review of the pigmentation and quality of Essence shadows.

The Biore Strips - I tried this item once over the weekend, and I must have done something wrong, as it did absolutely nothing for me :) I will be testing it again.

The Shower Gel- This product lathered ok, but really is not my favorite sent, I will use it for shaving I think but that's about it.

The Macadamia Oil - I cannot say enough about this product, I think I am in Love, even more so that the Argan Oil. Sooo glad to have two of these!! My hair feels healthier and smoother andfeels to me like it has a little more weight to it. I do warn you not to use it near your hair line though, LOL or you look a bit greasy.